Marvin Harrison
vs Justin Herbert

“Arizona QB Jacoby Brissett doesn’t think the outside noise regarding Harrison is fair, as he isn’t the only offensive playmaker struggling to produce so far.”

“So far, through two games, improved health hasn’t quite led to improved results in his third season, and according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, some in the league are starting to wonder if Harrison might become a candidate to be traded . With Harrison coming off back-to-back 1,200-yard, 14-touchdown seasons at Ohio State, many were underwhelmed when he only logged 885 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 62 catches as a rookie in the NFL. Honestly, though, Harrison wasn’t far off pace with some of his fellow receivers taken in the top four picks of the draft.”

“The Broken-Play Fail: After a lazy stem, Harrison offers no crispness at the route break. As Jacoby Brissett scrambles to extend the play, Harrison fails to work back to his QB, forcing an unnecessary throwaway on what should have been an easy scramble-drill completion. Despite his Hall-of-Fame pedigree and occasional rookie-year flashes, his development has stalled.”

“With his lone target falling to the ground on Sunday, Harrison has registered just one reception on four targets for 33 yards through two games. For better or worse, it’s not one issue that’s holding Harrison back, but a layer of factors. Head Coach Mike LaFleur has been questioned about Harrison’s role, as he’s primarily operated as an outside X receiver with little movement or motion to free him up.”

“Harrison has the same number of drops as catches (one apiece) and has been targeted just four times in two games. Robinson notes the upcoming trade deadline might be the last chance for the Cardinals to get anything of substance for Harrison, and even then his trade market could be tepid. He points out Harrison’s fifth-year option is a complicating factor.”

“On Thin Ice: Rico Dowdle (93% rostered), Tony Pollard (92% rostered), Kenny Gainwell (80% rostered) WIDE RECEIVERS Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona (93% rostered) Harrison finished Sunday with three targets, one catch, and 33 yards. He took a back seat to Trey McBride, Michael Wilson and, shockingly, Kendrick Bourne. He isn’t a universal drop, but in shallow two-wide receiver leagues, I see no reason to keep him around as a boom-bust WR3.”

“I’m not writing off Marvin Harrison Jr. yet. Yes, he’ll compete with Trey McBride for targets, but Harrison should see a target share of 20% or better.”

“Harrison is still just 24 and Arizona is going to have to throw the ball a lot. Jacoby Brissett is not capable of leading them to the playoffs, but he is capable of putting up solid fantasy numbers.”

“Harrison is not the player we had hoped for when he was drafted. However, there is plenty of room for him to be a steady WR2 with WR1 potential if he cleans up his game.”

“In his first two seasons, Harrison has yet to record more than 52 yards per game. That said, his 11.6% touchdown rate is impressive.”

“Pass on Marvin Harrison Jr. as a frontline cornerstone. Mainstream scouting got this one wrong; his top-end athleticism simply has not translated to Sunday success. With Trey McBride commanding the middle of the field, Michael Wilson demanding targets on the outside, and elite rookie Jeremiyah Love eating up touches in the backfield, Harrison's slice of the pie is shrinking by the day.”

“QB Justin Herbert had his best game of the season and it wasn’t even all that good. His regression this season is a big part of why Los Angeles is falling short of expectations. Losing former DC Jesse Minter to the Ravens’ head job is a factor as well.”

“Among 31 qualifying passers, Herbert has the 14th-fewest yards per attempt, the seventh-fewest fantasy points per dropback, the eighth-lowest passing success rate, and the fifth-lowest EPA per dropback. I don’t see this being the week that Herbert turns things around against this vaunted Seattle pass defense. Seattle has allowed the fewest yards per attempt, the seventh-lowest passing success rate, and the sixth-fewest fantasy points per dropback.”

“Over the last two weeks, Justin Herbert has dropped back 69 times, and Mitchell leads all Chargers backs with 22 routes; Omarion Hampton is third on his own team at 15, with three targets on the season . Mitchell has also run 18 routes lined up at wide receiver this year, second among all RBs behind only Christian McCaffrey (see Analysis & Hype above). And here's the ugly-beautiful part: Herbert is 1-for-12 with three picks on throws 20+ yards downfield, which means the checkdown is the only part of this offense currently functioning.”

“Herbert has one QB1 scoring week over his past 10 games. It is hard to bank on that flipping here, so Herbert stays in the pile of back-end QB2 options . Seattle allowed 3 passing touchdowns to Marcus Mariota on Sunday, but they still allow only 5.9 yards per pass attempt and a 61.3% completion rate for 183 yards.”

“This offense is a disaster: QB Justin Herbert is playing the worst ball of his career, this offensive line isn’t any better than it was a year ago even with Los Angeles’ tackles back, and this defense isn’t the same without Jesse Minter leading it. The Chargers need to do something different, and fast. But with a meat grinder of an upcoming schedule, the road isn’t getting any easier.”

“Three weeks in, Herbert is averaging just 209 passing yards per game, has a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 3:4, and has yet to top 13.5 fantasy points in a game. His 73.4 passer rating ranks 31 out of 32 starting quarterbacks. You don’t want to know where he ranks, including among backup quarterbacks who have played enough to qualify.”

“Los Angeles's inability to protect Justin Herbert could be problematic this week.”

“It has only been two games, but Herbert looks worse mechanically than ever. Remember this summer, McDaniel changed Herbert's shotgun stance and base to get the ball out quicker. Before we get further into McDaniel, I believed getting Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater back would be enough to elevate the offensive line, since Herbert had such strong splits with just Alt on the field last year.”

“One of the more hyped players at the position coming into draft season, Herbert has struggled mightily to start the season after Mike McDaniel took over as offensive coordinator. Completing just 15 passes on the afternoon, Herbert threw for 192 yards, one touchdown, and two ugly interceptions. Even more alarming was his lack of ball security, as Herbert put the ball on the ground three times, with Las Vegas defenders constantly swarming around him.”

“Herbert is still a must-start in Superflex formats, but those starting him in 1-QB formats may need to pivot to backup options soon if No. 1 WR Ladd McConkey misses significant time. After next week’s contest against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Chargers and their subpar offensive line play the Buffalo Bills, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Houston Texans and Baltimore Ravens in succession.”

“Chargers RB snaps in Week 4: • Keaton Mitchell – 26 • Kimani Vidal – 25 • Omarion Hampton – 25 • Alec Ingold – 25 Justin Herbert has faced the SECOND EASIEST QB schedule through 4 weeks. He has the HARDEST QB schedule from Week 5 through 17. Justin Herbert on downfield passes this season, per NextGenStats: • 39.1 completion pct (3rd-lowest) • 7.4 pass yards/attempt (lowest) • 6 interceptions (most) • 34.8 passer rating (lowest) Justin Herbert is the QB30 in PPG.”